BackIndiareit plans to raise $750 million for real estate fund
Indiareit plans to raise $750 million for real estate fund
Premium
Mumbai: Venture capital firm Indiareit Fund Advisors Pvt. Ltd, which counts 3i Group Plc. among its investors, plans to raise up to $750 million (Rs3,045 crore) overseas for what may become India’s second largest real estate fund.
The Mumbai-based company may begin tapping investors in the US, Europe, West Asia and Japan by the year-end, managing director Ramesh Jogani said on Monday. The fund will invest in companies building apartments, malls and offices in India.
India, the fastest growing major economy after China, may get as much as $10 billion in overseas funds betting on real estate in the coming two-and-a-half years, Indiareit estimates. Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd (HDFC), Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS) and Kotak Mahindra Bank are among the institutions raising money to invest in unlisted developers and projects.
“Demand for space in India seems unending," said Raja Seetharaman, associate director at Jones Lang LaSalle Property Consultants in Mumbai. “Investors are looking for a big opportunity in India as the economy is poised to grow a minimum 7.5% over the next few years," he said. Real estate funds focused on India have attracted about $3 billion so far, according to Indiareit, on optimism that economic growth, which averaged 8.6% over the past four years, will power demand for offices, malls and residences. India’s real estate industry may swell to $90 billion by 2015 from $12 billion in 2005, Moody’s Investors Service had said in June.
Indiareit, which raised $200 million from individuals and companies overseas last year and Rs430 crore domestically, plans projects in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai and Pune. ABN Amro Holding NV and ICICI Bank Ltd helped it raise the money. London-based 3i Group invested $40 million in the $200 million fund Indiareit closed in September last year.
Indiareit has earmarked about two-thirds of the amount raised for its real estate funds to residential projects, seeking to profit from rising demand for homes as salaries rise, Jogani said. India faces a shortage of 25 million houses, according to HDFC.
HDFC, India’s second biggest home mortgage lender, last month raised $800 million from overseas investors for a nine-year real estate fund, exceeding the $630 million drawn by Sun Apollo Real Estate Fund in January.
Kotak Real Estate Fund is raising $350 million from overseas investors in addition to the $500 million it raised locally to invest in houses, offices, hotels and warehouses, Vikas Chimakoorti, a partner at the fund, had said last week.
Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!
